US Jobless Claims Fall to 187,000 as Wages Outpace 3.5% Inflation
Updated
Updated · Washington Times · Aug 5
US Jobless Claims Fall to 187,000 as Wages Outpace 3.5% Inflation
3 articles · Updated · Washington Times · Aug 5
Summary
187,000 new jobless claims were filed in the week ended July 18, the lowest level since September 1969, while workers who stayed put saw pay rise 4.4% from a year earlier.
That wage gain topped June inflation of 3.5%, and job switchers got 7% raises—the biggest increase since August 2025—while 30% of companies surveyed by Payscale said they plan slightly larger raises next year.
44,000 private jobs were added last month in ADP data, well below a 75,000 forecast, reinforcing analysts’ view of a low-hire, low-fire market where employers retain staff but add few new workers.
61.5% of eligible Americans were employed or seeking work in June, and more than 1.1 million have left the civilian workforce since February, suggesting stronger wages and low layoffs may still mask weaker labor-market depth.
Even so, broader signals remain constructive: small-business optimism rose to 97.4 in June, and economists say roughly 1.04 job openings per unemployed worker points to a labor market that is stabilizing rather than booming.